Experimental improvements in combining CARD-FISH and flow cytometry for bacterial cell quantification

Flow cytometry and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization are common methods of identifying and quantifying bacterial cells. The combination of cytometric rapidity and multi-parametric accuracy with the phylogenetic specificity of oligonucleotide FISH probes has been regarded as a powerful and emerging tool in aquatic microbiology. In the present work, tests were carried out on E. coli pure culture and marine bacteria using an in-solution hybridization protocol revealing high efficiency hybridization signal for the first one and a lower for the second one. Other experiments were conducted on natural samples following the established CARD-FISH protocol on filter performed in a closed system, with the aim of improving cell detachment and detection. The hybridized cells were then subsequently re-suspended from the membrane filters by means of an optimized detachment procedure. The cytometric enumeration of hybridized marine bacteria reached 85.7%±18.1% of total events. The quality of the cytograms suggests that the procedures described may be applicable to the cytometric quantification of phylogenetic groups within natural microbial communities. ► FCM detection of bacteria was improved through the optimization of CARD-FISH protocol ► In-solution CARD-FISH showed high fluorescence signals of E. coli and marine bacteria ► On-filter CARD-FISH enabled the identification of marine bacteria by FCM